On TechPolicy.Press, Dave Karpf writes:

Consider that language about “putting power in people’s hands.” What do we know thus far about the ways that people, empowered by AI, like to use the technology? Deepfake porn and harassment are unsettlingly popular activities. In the absence of guardrails, awful people seem very eager to use these technologies to pursue awful ends.

The question is: how do people like to use AI? Dave can only think of two things:

1. Deepfake porn
2. Harassment

Is that how you use AI? No? Off the top of my head:

• Writing code
• Translating between languages
• Writing messages to coworkers
• Summarizing meetings
• Transcribing audio
• Identifying objects in video
• Making images in the style of Studio Ghibli

This is not a defense of Mark Zuckerberg nor a general criticism of Dave’s article. I left Facebook and Instagram last year. I don’t have faith in Meta to improve anyone’s life with AI.

People do bad things with AI, but “deepfake porn and harassment are more popular than I think they should be” is not a takedown of Meta’s goals for superintelligence.